


Timeless

by LukewarmRavens1114 (LikeWaterOffADuck1114)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (Momentarily), Adrien Has a Crush on Marinette, Adrien kinda goes insane, Alya and Mari are bffs forever litter-ally, And Marinette does too, Combined Miraculous, Danny Phantom Inspired, F/M, Ghost!Marinette, Hawkmoth!Prince Ali, Hunger Games References, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I put a ton of time into this while coughing my lungs away, Major Character Undeath, Marinette dies and becomes a ghost, Peacock!Adrien, This Is STUPID, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, childhood AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 01:19:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8824435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LikeWaterOffADuck1114/pseuds/LukewarmRavens1114
Summary: Marinette is sick. Life-threateningly, stay in bed all day, heartbreakingly sick.That doesn't stop Adrien, or Chat Noir from visiting her every day, or whenever he can.But she won't die. Marinete is too strong for that. Too kind, strong, beautiful... the list could go on.And even if she did die, where would that leave him?





	1. White

**Author's Note:**

> [Currently, this story is in hatius. Thank you!]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea why it says chapter 3.

There was white everywhere. The walls, floor tiles, bed sheets, her skin, the mattress, pillows... Even the nurses that came in sometimes looked like big, white, abominable snowmen!

But they weren't like the Abominable Snowman she and Adrien saw on Monsters Inc., they didn't offer her snow cones, crack jokes, or stop fights outside in the hallways. Sometimes they were just there to bring her food, but other times they stuck needles in her arm or made her drink a thick liquid that tasted like sour cherries and always made her sneeze.

She had books to read when the nurses weren't there and a tiny not-white TV that hung from the wall. Marinette didn't use it much. In her books, whenever Curious George went to the hospital, the nurses were always girls. Marinette thought that that was stupid, because most of the nurses that came to talk about 'how she was feeling', were boys.

Now, _those_ nurses would make her laugh.

Surprisingly, most of her books were white. Mr. Gerald, her favorite nurse, said that the books were white so that they would know when 'naughty children' had hurt the books. Marinette didn't understand why other kids would hurt the books. They were for everyone, right?

 _The presentation is always important, Marinette._ Her mother said. That made sense because they owned a bakery, and Papa's cakes were always in the front window, which is why people came in. Marinette was pretty sure. Maybe that's why the hospital was so white? Maybe they wanted people to believe that this was a safe place. Which it was, Marinette wasn't one to disagree, it was safe. Very safe, in fact. But it felt cold. Always so white and cold. The nurses and the doctors were all in white. The pills she took, the lights in the ceiling, and the purple polka-dotted hospital gown she wore still had a white background.

So occasionally, she guessed it helped when there was a splash of green coming to visit her.

"Happy Birthday!" Adrien happily called out before hugging her.

Marinette giggled. "It's not my birthday yet!"

He shrugged. "Well then, Happy Birthday Eve!" Adrien winked.

“How do you do that?” Marinette poked his arm.

“What?” He asked. “Do you mean-” He pulled himself onto her bed. “How am I so amazing?”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “No, Adrien. I mean, how do you wink?”

He shrugged. “I’m just miraculous.” He pursed his lips. “Or, I’m a bionic superhuman.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m a robot!” Adrien pretended to roar and playfully clawed at her shirt.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “You’re acting more like a lion.” She giggled. “You already have the hair to prove it!”

“If that’s true...” He smirked.

Adrien had a lot of what Marinette classified as ‘action’ faces. He could smile, laugh, pout, yell, from, whine… The list went on. Most people had action faces, like the nurses that came in to talk to her, or her parents. Some people didn’t. The doctors, girl nurses, and the people on sope operas (She was pretty sure that was what they were called. Why would someone name a kind of TV about soap?)  on the TV didn’t.

Adrien liked to use his action faces. She didn’t think there was a time when he wasn’t laughing or pouting. At least around her. Marinette knew his parents were constantly fighting. He always sounded worried when he talked to her about it, so naturally she was worried too.  

Adrien also had what she called 'still faces', or the faces he used when laughing or pouting wouldn't work on her. Marinette thought of them as when he smiled, or bit his lip. Grinned, frowned, or stuck his tongue out at her. 

Or smirked, like he was now. He had good smirks, ones where he was laughing at something not too appropriate, or bad smirks, like when he was planning something.

In one quick motion, Adrien pulled himself to her so he was nose-to-nose with her. "That makes  _me_ Simba, and _you_ Nala." Bad smirk! Very bad, bad smirk!

"No! Ew!" She pushed him away. "That's so gross!" Marinette wiped her face off with a sheet on the bed. "Cooties! Gross!" 

Adrien started to laugh. He fell over, holding his sides. "You-" Laugh. "Totally fell for it!"

"No! Auhg!!" Marinette threw the sheet she was holding over him. "You're trash!"

He giggled from under the sheet, his voice coming out slightly muffled. "What kind of trash?"

"The smelly, stinky kind!" She kicked the blanket gently. 

"Adrien." 

Marinette turned her head. Mrs. Agreste held a small box in her hands, rolling her eyes and gently gesturing to the boy under the blanket.

With his head peeking out from under the sheet, Adrien grinned and winked at Marinette before jumping off the bed and skipping towards the doorway.

Once the box had been taken from her, Mrs. Agreste leaned down to whisper in her son's ear, earning a grin from the little blond boy standing almost seven heads beneath her. 

Marinette giggled. Adrien was tall compared to her, but standing next to his mother mad him look tiny.

Adrien skipped back to her and plopped the box in her lap. "Happy Birthday, Marinette." He whispered.

-oOo-

Marinette fingered the tiny glass earring she always wore. 

They weren't the only pair she had, she had a separate pair she kept in a box on her nightstand. Unlike the glass earrings, which Adrien had found in his heart to give her, the black pair in the box had arrived one day without any notice. They just, almost magically, appeared on her nightstand, black box and all. The earring she found normal, they were entirely black in a black setting. No details, no decoration... nothing. The box was made of a wood she couldn't identify, and although she could tell it was very old, it didn't show much wear. It had definite red detailing, making it very much more interesting to look at.

She'd never bothered to wear them, Adrien's earrings were meant much more to her.

"Hello, Princess."

Marinette looked up from her book. She smirked. "Chat? I saw you last night." 

The boy outside her window grinned. His voice was only a little muffled. "I had to come when I heard you moved rooms."

She shook her head and gently reached to open the window. "Silly cat, you could've waited."

Said cat rushed onto her bed as soon as the window was open wide enough. "I couldn't help it. I felt like my princess was lonely."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I could feel it from the other side of the city."

"That's a very long way for such a small kitty."

"I know."

That was all it took for his lips to be placed on hers.

She smiled when she felt him moving his hands around, trying to find her hips. The room was very dark, Marinette always kept one blinder closed. She made sure that the other was always open so that a certain cat could find his way around.

When his hands found home, he didn't resist pushing her back into her pillows. She giggled when he almost fell on top of her. 

"Hey! You're squ-squishing me!" 

Chat groaned when her mouth disappeared. "You're supposed to stay still!"

 _"You're_ not supposed to fall on me!"

He thoughtfully placed his head next to her. "Will it help if I say you make me go at the knees?"

She snorted.

"No? Then I guess I'll just have to settle for putting distance between me and my beautiful lover." Chat said as he slowly rose off of her. 

Her reaction was instant. She pulled him back down to her, squeezing his neck as an order to  _stay._

"I guess I can stay here for a while."

"You better."

He kissed the corner of her jaw. "I love you."

"I know."

"Ohhh!" He jabbed her side. "Smart mouth much?"

"Or, some dweeb that sneaks into my room every night makes me watch too much  _Star Wars!"_

"Hmm..." He kissed a little lower. "That dweeb sounds brilliant."

"The  _dweeb_ sounds like an idiot."

"No~" He whined. "Just as I thought it was time to go gay."

"Chat, are you planning on leaving me?"

"You  _are_ basically on the deathbed."

Marinette tensed. 

Chat wanted to hit himself. What had he just said? "Marinette, no, I'm sorry-!" He forced himself off of her. "No, no, look, I-" He cupped her face. "I was just joking. I'm so sorry." He nuzzled her forehead. "You know I'm a horrible joker."

Marinette's lip quivered.  _"Horrible."_  

He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"I hate you."

"Is it my turn to say I know now?"

-oOo-

"Marinette!" Sabine paraded into her daughter's room, to find her reading a book. In fact- "I got you that book!" She exclaimed. 

Marinette closed the said item and chuckled. "Yea."

Sabine hugged her daughter. "Happy 16th birthday, darling."

"I'm here!" Tom Dupain slid into the room with a large paper box in his hands. "Where's my little girl?"

"Right here, Papa." Marinette smiled weakly. 

He smiled. "There she is!" He set the box down on the table at the foot of her bed. "How you doing?"

Marinette pulled a tight-faced, weak smile. "Great, Papa." 

"Marinette, is something wrong?" Her mother put a hand on her back. 

Marinette looked at her feet. "I'm great, Mama."

"Marinette, sweetie, you can tell us if something's wrong-" Tom started.

He was interrupted when Marinette started to cough.

And didn't stop.

-oOo-

"Ma'am, please-" Adrien tried to reason with the receptionist.

"Monsieur, please. Only relatives can see Mlle. Dupain-Cheng at the moment." She shook her head, like she was just proving her point further.

"But, ma'am, she's  _dying._ Please! I've known her since we were kids, we were in the same room when I broke my leg-" Adrien tried to stress.

"Sir, I frankly don't care."

_"Please!"_

"No."

-oOo-

White.

Damn, why  _always white?_

White clouded her vision as she tried to hold onto her mother's hand. It was harder than it should have been.

She wanted to scream, make the white go away, maybe even make the green she'd become so accustomed to appear. 

Maybe they'd both appear, just like that. The white would leave, and Adrien and Chat would be there, one hugging the life out of her and the other whispering pet names into her ear until the cows came down.

_"I love you, Marinette."_

_"Don't leave me,_ Marinette _."_

_"I will kill you if you die, and leave me here alone."_

_"Stay here, Mari."_

_"I can make the white go away, Mari."_

_"Just stay here."_

_Too late,_ she wanted to whisper.

The bed that they had gotten her onto, somehow, rolled into a darker room. Thankfully, this time the walls were red. It didn't make the swimming white spots around her vision leave.

Fingers pressed on her body, taking her pulse, pressing spots that were always sore, and stroking her hair. 

Her hair?

She blinked, slowly. Maman. That had to be Maman.

She smiled weakly. Thank God for her mother.

As her mother's fingers pulled back, green filled her vision. 

Marinette tried to reach up to stroke the soft hair sticking out from behind the green eyes. "Good kitty." She managed without coughing.

"No, no, no,  _Marinette."_ They were the first intelligible words she had heard since she started coughing. Chat's cheek brushed against hers. "Marinette." He whispered here name like a prayer. "No, no, no." Something wet landed on her cheek. "Hey, hey Mari, stay." He croaked.

"Kitty-cat is a worked up over nothing." She whispered. Her voice was hoarse. When did that happen?

"No, this isn't  _nothing."_ His voice cracked.

"I'll be fine." Lies. The white was getting brighter. She felt like she was being pulled in every direction. 

Marinette felt like she was being pulled in every direction. Something was tugging her towards somewhere else, somewhere she knew would be good, but she was also fine with staying here.

"Please. Mari, _please_!"

"Kitty, I'm f-fine"

"N-no you're n-not!"

She smiled. "Kitty, I love you."

"IF YOu-" Chat didn't finish the sentence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Shyly waves at the fandom*


	2. Hurting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sabine's cool af.

"No, no, no, no!" Chat Noir brushed Marinette's bangs away from her face. "Princess?"

Sabine closed her eyes.

Tom placed a hand over his heart.

"Marinette?" Chat lip quivered. "Please, I-" He pressed his forehead to her neck. "Marinette."

Sabine took a shaky breath in. 

Sixteen years of buildup.  _Sixteen years._

And the doctors said she was getting  _better._

What were they going to do now? 

The head doctor, or who She assumed, shuffled over to her.

He looked ashamed.

He should be.

"Ma'am I need... Could you leave the room?"

She nodded. Sabine refused to look him in the eyes. 

 _Better._ He said she was getting better.

Better her ass.

The doctor looked over his shoulder at a colleague who was holding the door open for him.

She noticed that most of the nurses had left as well. 

Good.

As the doctor shuffled away,Sabine quietly glared at the equipment around the room. It was an ugly room. Bright red with vomit-green machines sitting around the room. Her daughter died here. 

Couldn't they have done something to make it look better?

"You're much better at comforting people than me."

Sabine turned towards the voice.

Her husband pressed a kiss into her hair.

"You're scared of him?" She whispered.

"He's hurting... God knows what that can do to people. Even so, you've seen what he can do." 

Sabine nodded a second time. "I think it's stupid to be afraid of him."

"I still need you to be careful."

"I will."

Tom gently rubbed her back, pressing another kiss, and a few more words of encouragement, before quietly walking away.

Sabine gulped, more out of trying to keep control than fear. She didn't know how the boy would react-

She wasn't completely sure why he was here in the first place. 

"I'm n-n-not, GOing to hURT you." Chat met her eyes.

Sabine smiled. "You're voice is cracking. Would you like some tea? I always keep some with me."

"I want to stay here." He took Marinette's hand.

She shook her head sadly. "You know you can't."

The hero buried his face into her daughter's shoulder. "I have to stay."

"Adrien, I'm not going to force you to leave-"

His head snapped up. "How did you know?"

"I don't think there's ever been any other boy in her life."

"I knew it was stupid coming to her as Chat." He pressed his forehead back into her neck. "I was going to tell her today."

She smiled tightly and reached over to gently place a hand on his back. "It's hard. I'm her mother, and they lied to me.I didn't think things would go this way either."

"It's not fair!" He growled. "It's her _birthday-!"_

"These things happen-"

 _"These things happen?"_ He turned to her.  _"These things happen?_ You're her mother!"

"Do you think I don't care about my daughter?"

"You act like it!" He stood.

Sabine didn't move. "You act like you're the only one who cares, Adrien."

"Don't call me that!" He hissed.

"Why?"

"I just don't like-"

"Is it because you think she likes this ou better than Adrien?" She shook her head.

"Of course not!"

"I can guarantee she doesn't."

"Didn't."

"If you're ready to accept that, Adrien. But I'm not."

-oOo-

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien breathed.

The transformation felt faster than usual.

Not that Adrien cared.

Instead of gliding out from the miraculous as usual, Plagg was almost flung from the ring. The kwami spun in the air and almost hit the wall, but was able to get his bearings and stop just before hitting his head. 

Plagg shook his head. "Look, kid, I get you're upset-"

Adrien didn't care.  He snarled at his kwami and quickly turned, making his way towards a fork in the hallway.

Plagg glared at his charge. "Stupid..." He shook his head.

Adrien took the left turn, not bothering to check and see if his friend was following.

Unfortunately, he was. If grumbling the whole way.

At first look, the end of the hallway was an empty waiting room, save Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. But Plagg wasn't stupid. The room was too white, the light was a soft warm, unlike the normal bright light in the hallways. 

Second look, this was a cry room.

"Mrs. Cheng?" Adrien managed. 

Plagg was able to make it under Adrien's white over shirt before he made it to the chairs.

The woman looked up, unlike her husband who either couldn't care in the least or was too scared to look up and kept his head down.

She waved him over. 

Seeing Adrien instead of who he thought was Chat Noir, Mr. Dupain looked up. He turned to his wife. "How did he know?" 

"Hush." Commanded his wife. 

Adrien sat down, if a few chairs away from the pair. 

Adrien decided that pairs weren't worth it.

"How are you?" Mrs. Cheng stretched and was just able to reach his knee. "Are you alright?"

Adrien shook his head. "Can I take the tea now?" 

She nodded. "Tom, can you go find a coffee maker?" She handed her husband the tea bags she fished from her purse. "Adrien and I need to talk."

Tom's gaze drifted between the two. "Sure. Give me fifteen minutes." 

"That sounds great." She smiled.

Tom stood. "Call me if something happens."

"Nothing will."

"I meant if there's news about Marinette."

Sabine nodded.

Adrien grimaced. "What could there be?"

"A lot of things." Sabine gave him a tight smile. "You never know what they could find during her autopsy. I remember when there was a news story about-"

 _"Autopsy!"_ Adrien stood.

Tom silently made his way out of the room. 

"You didn't say anything about an autopsy!"

"There wasn't anything to say about it."

Adrien groaned and fell back into his chair. "Oh, God. _Marinette_." 

"I know." She moved a chair closer to him. "I know." She sighed. "Adrien, I need you to listen to me."

He looked at her. "What?"

"I know you think you're the only one hurting."

"I don't think that."

Sabine shook her head. "Yes you do, Adrien. I can tell."

Adrien growled. "I'm not that selfish."

"But you haven't seen how much parents lovetheir children. You don't know."

"I do know." He turned to face her. "I have a mother, I had a father. I know it hurts."

"I can only imagine what kind of state your father would be in if our roles were reversed."

"He would be fine."

"No, Adrien, you don't understand I know how he acted when your mother was around, and I see how he is now. He wouldn't be fine."

"He would encourage the doctors just to kill me faster." Adrien dug his palms into his knees.

"Think of your mother, Adrien."

"I do! My mother is alive. I can call my mother. I can see my mother. I can go live with my mother if I damn well choose to!" He clenched his eyes closed. "I can't see Marinette. I can't talk to Marinette. I can't hold her, touch her, kiss her, tell her how so  _desperately_ I am in love with her ever again!" Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes.  _"Ever."_ Adrien's lip quivered. "Ever."

Sabine wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I know." She rubbed circles into his back. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When there's more comments than kudos you know something's wrong. ;)
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> I have a lot of free time, okay?


	3. Don't Leave Me

_"I love you."_

Marinette giggled as a pair of hands drifted across her body. Someone's mouth gently pressed a kiss to her temple.

_"Oh, God. I love you so much."_

She giggled harder, just letting a snort push through her mouth. "I know! You've told me!"

Warm hands pulled her hips backward into an even warmer body as the boy behind her peppered her neck and chest with kisses. _"I love you."_

She shrieked playfully. "No! No, stop it! That- That tickles!"

The boy smiled against her throat. _"Would you rather me kiss you some place else, Princess?"_

Marinette wiggled, trying to get away from him. "No!" She said with a smile.

_"My Princess wishes, so it shall be."_

"That's so sappy, you dork." She rolled over so that her hands were on his chest. Strange, she couldn't see his face.

_"I love you."_

It didn't matter. "Stop!" She buried her face in what was safe to assume his chest. "You're making me blush."

Lips traced the curves of her face, taking time to lovingly kiss each freckle and even lick her jaw. 

Marinette hummed when he moved to licked her ear, the boy behind her slowly becoming the boy on top of her. 

His lips moved south, finding a soft spot on her neck. 

Marinette sighed as the sensation of a hickey drove away any noncompliance. She arched her back into his chest.

He was very skinny.

Teeth and tongue and lips attacked the skin of her neck, pushing Marinette's head farther and farther down into whatever soft thing were laying on. 

Marinette whimpered. The boy pressed down harder, almost gnawing on her neck with his teeth.  _"I love you, Marinette."_

She whimpered a second time. "Y-You're starting to hurt me."

He immediatly flinched off of her.  _"Yes, Princess."_

"I-I didn't ask you to do anything."

The boy rolled off of her.  _"Yes, Princess."_

Marinette gulped. "Are you okay-"

Hands grabbed her waist.  _"No."_

She placed her hands back on his chest. "What's wrong?"

_"No, no, no, no, no."_

She blinked. He sounded worried. But he had been fine just a minute ago! "What's wron-?"

_"Marinette!"_

Marinette reached up to take his face in her hands. "Hey, I'm right here."

The boy shook.  _"Please, no. Marinette!"_

She gently rubbed circles into his jawline. "Calm down. You're okay."

_"No! Princess!"_

"What's wrong? Tell me!"

_"Please! Don't leave!"_

Marinette harshly grabbed his ears between her pointer finger and thumb. "I'm fine."

_"Don't say that!"_

"Chat Noir! Calm down!"

He didn't listen.  _"Come back! I'm sorry!"  
_

Tears from the boy fell on her cheeks.  _"Please. Marinette!"_

Marinette tried to tell him to calm down. She had half a mind to sit on top of the boy until he stopped, but she couldn't. She was frozen. She couldn't move, couldn't speak.

_"Marinette, please!"_

Couldn't breathe.

_"Princess!"_

She was fairly sure her heart wasn't beating.

_"Marinette, don't leave me!"_

-oOo-

Marinette screamed. 

All the people around her, the white walls, and bright lights beating down on her, mixed with a shaking, crying boy next to her and someone's fingers in her hair, she couldn't take it.

She shrieked, abruptly sitting up and pulling on her hair.

This needed to stop. 

Go away.

And never come back.

"Wow, I'm pretty sure I didn't even wake up like that."

Marinette jumped. She could tell now she was crying because the tears were preventing her eyes from moving as fast as she was used to. She involuntarily placed her hand over her heart, trying to calm it, because it should be beating hard, right?

She was on a couch, in a building she didn't recognize, with a girl sitting across from her at a breakfast table. 

Marinette backed as far away from the girl as the couch would allow. Something was wrong. The girl had long, think cuts and gashes on her arms and chest. One went straight through her shoulder. Dark bruises lined her eyes and her forehead, and her shirt was torn in weird places like they had been grabbed and pulled away rather than torn. 

The girl snorted. "I'm sorry, I'm not going to say that it's okay. It's not. You're terrified."

Marinette shook her head. 

"Soooooo." The girl scratched her head. "Any questions?"

Any questions?

What?

_What?_

"I'm just joshing you." The girl winked. "You have a lot of questions." She brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes. "I told Nath he should do this..." She shook her head. "First, my name's Alya." Alya waved. "Second, you're in my house, or..." She looked around. "It was my house." She shrugged. "My little brother has probably sold it by now." Alya rested her head on her fist. "Third..." Alya frowned. "Yeah, I am really bad at this." 

Marinette curled in on herself, trying to find warmth. The hospital's temperature was never over 69 degrees, so she was used to be cold. But this as a little more than her toes always under the blanket.

"Let's see..." Alya tapped her chin. "I said you were at my house, told you my name..." She bit her lip and pressed her fingers against her temple. "I just have... Concentration problems... I hit my head when the car hit me, and my old noggin hasn't been the same." She winked a second time.

"A car hit me?" Marinette shrieked. 

"Yea." Alya smiled tightly. "You know, like when you died in the hospital?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh heh. Try and guess how Alya died. Hint hint: Her phone ;)


	4. Cookies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this while watching the hunger games. So, obviously I'm messed up.

"Adrien?" Sabine turned to the boy behind her.

"M-Mrs. Cheng?" Adrien wiped his face on his shirt. "C-Can-... M-May I go home with you?"

"Oh, baby." Sabine pulled him into a hug. "Oh, baby baby." 

Adrien sniffled and buried his face into her shoulder. "I m-miss her."

"We all do, baby." Sabine rubbed his back. "But it's gonna be okay, alright?"

"Yes, y-yes ma'am." " She placed her chin on his head. "You're okay, baby. It's gonna be okay."  

"Your father isn't here." She placed her chin on his head. "You don't have to talk to me like that."

She pulled him closer when she felt her shirt was wet.

Sabine kissed his forehead. "You're okay, baby. It's gonna be okay."  

-oOo- 

"You can go up to her room. You don't have to keep me company." Sabine called from the kitchen. Adrien was pacing, he was trying to keep out of her field of vision, but it didn't work. 

"I-I'm fine."

"I made cookies!" She smiled to herself when she could see Adrien stop moving out of the corner of her eye. 

"W-What kind of cookies?" Adrien asked before rethinking and adding a swift, "Ma'am."

"Sugar cookies. I have icing to put on them if you want, dear."

"Yes, please." 

Sabine took two bags of icing out of their refrigerator. It was supposed to be for Marinette when she got home. Her daughter was only allowed trips once a month away from the hospital, twice if they were lucky, so she liked to make the best of it. 

Adrien had appeared next to the counter, head down and hair covering his eyes.

"I always thought your father kept your hair too long." She pointed an icing bag at the boy.

"Excuse me?" Adrien blinked slowly. 

"Nothing. Just thoughts from an old hag." She handed him a pipette. "I hope you don't mind the color. They were supposed to be for Marinette." 

Adrien turned his head towards the purple plastic tube. "No, I don't." He gently smiled. "I love it."

Sabine laughed. "Don't let any of your little boy friends hear that." She shook her head. "Or my husband. He'll say it's improper for a boy to  _'like a girls color_ _'_."

Adrien grinned. 

"Let's make some cookies!" She declared. 

-oOo-

He wanted to feel like a cat.

Adrien curled under the blankets, dragging a pillow down with him. 

Adrien wanted to feel like a cat, soft and warm and detached from everything. A thing that people only kept around because they felt like they should. 

Which was wrong, he knew that. 

It was completely unnatural to want to push people away, unhealthy even. 

Strange that it didn't make him change his mind.

Adrien reached for a cookie from the plate he had left on Marinette's pillow.

Her room was still so childish.

Pink and white and black, he knew that was because she was never home, but he tried not to think about he never living here. It smelled like her and was soft. That was all he cared about.

He softly chewed on the pink and purple cookie.

There were so many things he should have said.

He should have told her he loved her more. That she was the only thing keeping him from going insane.

Because she was!

Marinette...

He was sure he would've killed himself by now if not for Marinette.

Maybe he should have bargained with the hospital more. Maybe if he had fought harder, he could have taken her out as Adrien. Made her life more than just white walls and occasional visits at night. He once tried to take her out, quote on quote,  _on a date,_ as Chat. She had fought him, saying that if the hospital found out, they both would have been screwed. 

He didn't care.

Adrien didn't care.

Chat didn't care.

He just wanted her back.

-oOo-

"I love you," Adrien whispered as his hands slid up and under her shirt. He had never done that before, and wouldn't've without her permission, but now, he didn't care/

Marinette giggled. 

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Oh, God. I love you so much." It was true! He did!

Marinette giggled and even snorted when he rubbed his face against her hair.  _"I know! You've told me!"_

Well, then he needed to tell her more.

Adrien pulled her hips back to his and placed a kiss on her neck. And another. And another. Soon, he couldn't stop. "I love you."

She shrieked. _"No! No, stop it! That- That tickles!"_

He smiled against her throat. "Would you rather me kiss you some place else, Princess?" She had a lot of places he would absolutely  _love_ to kiss.

She squirmed.  _"No!"_

"My Princess wishes, so it shall be." Adrien ran his hand across the flat of her stomach.

 _"That's so sappy, you dork."_ Marinette rolled over to touch him.

He smiled wistfully. He loved it when she called him that. "I love you."

_"Stop~ You're making me blush."_

His heart quivered. Good. 

Maybe he could make her blush more?

Adrien moved his lips along her face.

She was so beautiful.

He kissed each freckle. 

Adrien licked the corner of her jaw and tried not to purr. Beautiful girl.

Adrien moved his mouth up to her ear with his bottom lip catching the earrings he gave her. 

His heart swelled. She kept them.

She kept them!

He licked her ear. The grooves and bumps of her skin made him dizzy. 

More. He needed more of her.

Adrien attached himself to a special, soft part of her neck. 

Should he give her a hickey? That would be good.

His tongue tentatively reached out to lick her neck.

She tasted good.

Adrien bit her. That felt good.

He groaned. All of this was good.

He nipped at her skin a second time, then licked it to apologize. He shifted positions so that he had better access to her neck. Marinette whimpered.

 _Yes._ He wanted to whisper. He nipped a third time, then a fourth, before falling into a soft rhythm with her. He pressed down a little farther. He loved this girl.

Marinette whimpered a second time.  _"Y-You're starting to hurt me."_

He was hurting her?

Adrien popped off of her. He was hurting her. 

_Damn._

Marinette rolled her hips against his and softly placed a kiss on his temple. _"I need you to get off me, kitty."_

Adrien complied. "Yes, Princess." Anything for her.

She giggled.  _"You know, I love it when you say that."_

"Yes, Princess?"

She laughed. _"Yes, kitty._ " Marinette buried her head in his neck. _"I gotta go, kitten."_

Adrien's heart stopped. His hands tightened their grip on her waist. "No."

 _"You're were a really good boyfriend, you know that?"_  

She rubbed circles on his jawline.  _"I wish I was as good looking as you, hot stuff."_

What? She was gorgeous! He wanted to say that. He really, really wanted to. Unfortunately, that wasn't what came out of his mouth. "No! Princess!"

 _"Adrien, baby. I gotta go."_  

No! Wasn't she listening? She didn't have to go! "Please! Don't leave!"

She grabbed his ears.  _"I'm gonna be fine, baby."_

"Don't say that!" She wasn't going to be fine! She was leaving! She was dying!

Marinette pulled back. The front of his body felt cold.  _"Come back! I'm sorry!"_ He just wanted to hold her again! Maybe if he held on, and didn't let go-

Marinette placed a kiss next to the collar of his shirt.  _"I love you too."_

"Please! Marinette!" He couldn't move. His hands- his entire body felt bound. He was stuck. Tears fell down his cheeks. "Marinette, please!"

She slid a hand along his chest before moving away. "I love you too, by the way." She giggled.  _"But I've already told you that."_

"Princess!" She couldn't leave!

_"Bye, Adrien."_

"Marinette, don't leave me!"

-oOo-

"Adrien!" 

His eyes fly open. Marinette's mother is leaning over him, shaking his shoulder violently.

"Thank God!" She hugged the boy. "You had me scared! You were almost screaming-!" She met his eyes. "Baby, are you okay?"

Adrien felt tears well up behind his eyes. "She left me."

"No, Adrien, don't think of it like that-"

"No!" He squeezed his eyes closed. "She left me, again. She was looking me in the eye, and walked away."

"That must have been awful." Sabine squeezed his shoulder.

"I want her back."

She sighed. "We all do, Adrien. But she can't come back, dearie."

"I know. I-" Adrien froze. Could he? 

There was something teasing the back of his brain. He was sure he had seen something.

The book!

Of course!

About a year ago, he had found a book in the back of a safe behind a painting his father owned; it was about his miraculous and all the others. He was  _sure_ he'd seen something about death-

"Adrien?"

He looked up. 

Sabine smiled. "You slept for a long time. It's almost eight. I called your father, and he understands. You can stay here if you want."

"That sounds like a great idea, Mrs. Cheng." Adrien smiled.

Or, his book was at his house. But wouldn't it be good to stay in Marinette's blankets? Safe and warm... They smelled like her.

Something curled in his chest. Or, he could have that real thing.

"But I think I want to go home." He met the woman's eyes.

"That's fine with me, dear."

**Author's Note:**

> [Currently, this story is in hatius. Thank you!]


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